2009 Christmas Cards

I haven't been able to get to much crafting let alone blogging but I HAD to do some Christmas cards this year. I started right after Thanksgiving when we were in Portland after a visit the storefront of SCRAP!. I am so excited about this store and am a little sad it is so far away. We found some awesome materials that have been recycled for the purpose of creating. Some of my favorite finds were fabric samples, wood samples, and tiny ceramic tiles. All things I would not have thought to even look for in my local thrift store if they even existed there.

Since Christmas time seems like it an excuse for excess consumption I was more than happy to re-purpose some materials to make my cards.

All of the cards are posted at Flickr and I am going to try my darndest to add more to the collection soon.

Great Sand Dunes

I thought once the cooler weather rolled in things would start to slow down enough to sit for awhile and create but, as of yet, no luck. In place of crafts I give you road trips.

We camped at the Great Sand Dunes last week and took in the amazing sights. I'd go back there in a heartbeat.


M is sporting his Roughin' It t-shirt from the thrift store.

Revisiting ATC's

It has been ages since I have made an ATC let alone many. I think I got side tracked towards bigger projects for awhile and then sadly away from crafts all together over the last couple of months.

I have been drawn to papers with simple repeating patterns lately and searching for those types of paper has prompted me to start working small again. Little pieces of such papers seem to have a bigger impact in smaller portions.

My husband helped me with this one. I asked him to pick out a picture from one of the little Golden books on the Solar System and he came up with this illustration of two planets orbiting each other. It represents a couple of key concepts I like to operate with, first that both of us are constantly orbiting around each other and there is a sweet simple effect as a result which is represented through the on-land portion of this card. A second concept is the idea that planets orbiting, rain falling, and trees growing will go on endlessly. I know there is a lot of fear that it isn't true but taking into account the whole timeline of our solar system, earth, and the human race I think it is silly to think that it will all go down any time soon.

There are several other ATC's here for your veiwing pleasure.

A Colorado Polar Bear

We visited the Denver Zoo today before it got too hot for the season. 

These water shots made the heat that existed a little more bearable. There are a few more shots at on my flickr page. 

Cozumel, Quintana Roo

We enjoyed our honeymoon in Cozumel this past week. It was great and due to the Swine flu outbreak the island was nearly deserted, nice for us but bad for the people who depend on the business tourists bring. The sky and ocean were every shade of blue possible, the weather wasn't too hot yet, and we got to meet some cool people. 

I only wish that we spent more time in and got more pictures of the towns San Miguel and El Cedral. Next time... 

More pictures of our trip are posted on Flickr.

Thrift Store Love- Red, Aqua, & Gold

Got to enjoy some of Denver's thrift and antique stores this weekend and came up with some of my old fall backs (trays, birds, & fabric) in three of my favorite shades; red, aqua, and gold. 

...I also got to meet these nice ladies and try on their wigs. 

Ranunculus- Red and Aqua

Not only is it a beautiful flower it also rhymes with ridonkulous.

Thrift Store Love-Handbags and Glad Rags

There was a lot of good fabric to choose from today. I only wish that I sewed more... 

...and to satisfy the container obsession I got a Gucci portfolio and the Portable Pub by Londonaire... it totes your booze!!

In some ways it feels like this a little too personal but I couldn't help getting this composition book with a lovely poem about Ian oh Ian...

The shelf from my last thrift store visit is now occupied with various kitsch. For a temporary addition I cut up some of the leftover programs M and I had from our wedding to fill a couple of spaces but they are no longer there. As M says "we don't want to go around tootin' our own horn."

Thrift Store Love- Nature

These are some of the things I couldn't pass up at the ARC yesterday. I have been getting the urge to plant some herb seeds and I want to use this tiny little bird to start a plant. I didn't realize it at the time but most of the stuff I got is nature themed. Spring is in the air! The Colorado snow globe is for an upcoming swap and as usual I cannot resist a tray.

Thrift Store Love- Deer

Unintentionally I have started a collection of kitschy deer. Here are the latest I found. It is one big deer with two little ones chained to it... hard to tell from the pictures. I really like the worn parts of the deer, it gives them the old/loved look that I can't get enough of.

I edited these photos with picnik through flickr. I love all of the editing enhancements and the collage option is so aswesome and easy to use. Check out more photos and another collage I made here.

DIY Digest- Upcycled Boxes

I created these boxes to use for the swap-bot swaps I send and the idea behind them is they are 99% recycled and they are completely reuseable.

I've used previously shipped boxes and covered them with old magazine pages. The old Life, Ladies Home Journal, and Holiday magazines have nice big pages so you only need to use two-three. I like to use boxes that have a front and side flaps for the top so the picture doesn't have to be cut, you just tape around the sides.

For this box I used some vintage contact paper that I found in a thrift store and lined the inside.

To finish them off and make them durable enough to reuse I used laminating paper and clear packing tape to cover the whole box. The laminating materials are the only that are new.

I have used adhesive paper for the to and from lables because they are easy to remove and I have also used a grease pencil to address the package and taped over it so it can easily be removed when ready for re-shipment.

Share your Stash- Valentine's Themed Swap

I am hosting my second swap on Swap-bot.com. Check it out.

Making Valentine cards has become a tradition for me each year. Throughout the last five years I have rounded up a great stash of supplies that are perfect for sharing.

For this swap you will send one (1) partner part of your stash (7-10 items) and a Valentine’s themed sweet treat. This will be an international swap so it doesn’t have to be a huge package as long as it has 7-10 items minimally + 1 treat. Anything goes that you feel will be a great addition to any Valentine’s project including but not limited to decorative paper, ribbon, lace, stickers, rub-ons, vintage ephemera, modern images, embellishments, beads, tissue, confetti, stamps, etc. This doesn’t have to be specific to your partner’s profile since you are sharing your stash so you can start rounding up supplies right away.

Please put time into creating a great Valentine’s package. Not required but possible ways to get a heart for this swap; include more than 10 items, or a love themed CD you like to craft to, wrap it in a decorated box, include a Valentine card you made, etc.

The requirements to participate in this swap are:
-A minimum rate of 4.8 – or newbies allowed with completed profile and link to at least one other site (personal blog, flickr, another swap account, etc)
-No no-sends in the past 6 months
-1 package to 1 partner of 7-10 Valentine’s themed crafting supplies
-1 edible Valentine Treat (i.e.- candy hearts, heart shaped cookies, Passion tea, chocolate, etc.) If you have specific issues concerning food please indicate in your profile.

Since this swap is time sensitive to the Holiday please make sure you don’t send late. You want to make sure your partner can enjoy and use the supplies in time for Valentine’s Day.

Valentine's - Round II

There is nothing that keeps love alive like travelling. This round of Valentine's cards are inspired by travel and love.
I can't say Arkansas is on my list of destinations but you can put me on a boat like that on an empty lake anywhere and I'd be happy.

You can see more cards here.

Valentine's 2009

Good bye Christmas... I am on to Valentine's Day.

To see more check out my flickr page.